Just Say You Wont Let Go
by TJ Banks
Summary: After 10 months of being apart, all Belle could think of was her husbands long awaited return home. To finally begin her life with her love of was all she ever wanted since the day they were married, but Adams' Princely duties called him away. Now he's back, and among the stories of interesting cities and eccentric royals, he has something dark he's been hiding(very angsty beware!)
1. The Return

Hey there! This is my first fanfiction ever, and I hope you enjoy diving into the trials and tribulations of the characters of one of the best stories ever told (let's be honest). Don't forget to favorite and follow this story as I continue to work on this story. I just plan to play it by ear ya know? Go where the spirit moves me with this story. I also love constructive criticism and praise, so leave me a review if you'd like (I'd like it a lot if you would *wink*)

Disclaimer: I don't own this story, its characters, or any of that sweet, sweet Disney money

Anything he said after that, fell on deaf ears. Any explanation he gave, she didn't hear it. All pleads and cries for forgiveness went unnoticed. His now puffy cobalt blue eyes had no effect on her. The tears running down his perfectly chiseled face as his breath quickened by his need to cry and talk at the same time left her feeling cold as ever. As he knelt before her attempting to grasp her hands and hold them, more so to comfort himself than her, she neither moved against him or towards him. She just stared blankly straight ahead to where he had been standing two minutes ago. No matter what he said or did, what was done was done.

He'd put her through hell these last few months, something that she previously saw herself getting over in the future. She saw him finally coming back to the castle and returning himself to his wife, lover, and best friend. She had even dared to see him cradling her gently in front of a roaring fire in the library with a stomach big as a melon, full of excitement and anticipation for the arrival of their first child. All she had seen were beautiful memories that had been slightly tainted by the 10 months he was away after they were only married for 6. Memories full of love and laughter that trumped the worry and suspicion she harbored while he was away for an incredibly long amount of time too soon. Memories she had hoped to treasure forever.

Suddenly, all those memories fell to pieces on the ground in front of her. They were scattered before her like shattered glass from her favorite mirror, laid at the feet of the one who caused it: _Adam._

He was the reason the color drew from her usually rosy cheeks and gave her a pasty sick-like appearance. He was the reason she wanted nothing but to punch him in his perfect nose until she drew blood. He was the reason her entire future was laid out in front of her broken and incomplete. Him and that whore he made love to in Venice.

She could hardly stomach it: the idea that he held someone else, touched someone else, _kissed_ someone else the way he did to her. She really did want to see him bleed.

"Belle, please say something…. _please._ I-I know it seems bad, and-and it is, but be-believe me when I tell you, it-it was a one time thing. I love you more then I have ever and will ever love anyone else. You are the only woman in my life. You mean the world to me _ma coeur_." _A one time thing._ He says it was a _one time thing_. He says she's _the only woman in his life_.

At these words Belle snaps out of her trance and looks him dead in the eye with a silent rage inspired by the devil himself. Standing still she snatches her hands from his big, strong, soft, _filthy_ ones. " _Don't_ touch me. Not with the same hands you touched her with." Surprised by her sudden words and well earned rage, Adam stands back up quickly making sure to be close enough to her so that he could embrace her; that is, if she forgave him.

"Belle, I'm sorry, I-" "I don't want to hear it Adam. I'm tired of hearing empty apology after empty apology" she nearly screamed at him. Looking guilty, as he should, and wounded, he continued, "Belle, _please_ I lo-" "Don't tell me you love me because, you don't" she screamed at him. "If you really loved me, you would have waited until you came home to me, your _wife_. Did you take off your ring when you went to see her? Did you even tell her that you're a married man?" Red all over her face and on the brink of tears she decided she didn't need to hear nor did she care about his answers to her questions. Before he could utter a word, she ripped off her ring and threw it at his face.

Barely catching the ring before it took his eye out, he tried to calm her, and himself, down, "Belle, what are you doing? Please give me a chance to explain myself ma Coeur." Having finally reached her breaking point, Belle stood up straight and held back nothing, "No, we're done here. I'll send for a lawyer immediately in the morning. Get your crap out of here and find somewhere else to sleep because you sure as hell aren't sharing a bed with me anytime soon." "You can't be serious" Adam said with a grave expression on his face. The tears were long gone, and the only things left were anger and despair. "Oh yeah? Watch me" Belle replied as coolly as possible, given her current situation. After a few seconds too many of tension infused staring, she quickly brushed a stray dark brown hair behind her ear and she turned around to one of the dressers they shared and fervently started yanking open drawers with his clothes in them.

As he stood in the doorway of the West Wing, his place of solace long before Belle came around, she threw some clothes at his head and brought him out of the stupor he must have fallen in after she said watch me. Right before she slammed the door in his face, Adam rushed through, grabbed her clothes filled hands, and kissed her deeply and unexpectedly. His lips were puffy from the pouting and were salty from the tears and drew her in, as they always did. For a moment, she melted into him and everything he had just confessed to slipped away into nothingness. She almost asked him to stay when he pulled back just barely to judge her reaction, a delicate smile playing on his lips. She almost pulled him close to her again and forgave him for all the lies, deceit and betrayal. She almost forgot he'd left at all; it was almost like magic. _Almost_

Instead she took a slow deep breath and slapped him as hard as she could while having side effects of the kiss he'd just given her. Jelly knees sure don't help when you're trying to show your complete disdain for another person. Nursing his new injury on his right cheek, Adam was shoved into the well-lit hallway of the West Wing, where all he could do to keep from breaking down was remember how much he loved her despite her anger right now.

He pleaded to her with his eyes as she reached for the door again. He could see the disbelief of what had just happened written all over her face as she paused for a second to gather the strength to slam the door. As soon as their eyes met, her face turned stone cold and with no trouble at all, she slammed it with anger fueled force. As he shuffled shamefully through the hallways to find Belle's old room, he rightfully attracted silent judgement and hushed curses from every servant he passed, and believe you me, there were a lot of them. As he came upon Belle's old room from when she first arrived at the castle, he couldn't help but be a tiny bit optimistic. There was no way she was going to ask for a divorce, Right?


	2. She Just Needs Time

**Authors Notes**

Ok, so just a heads up, I had some issues with Word so I had to switch to Wordpad. But I had already written the next two chapters on there, so if the next two chapters look weird, that's why.

I can't belive how much attention the first chapter got. I'm a small fry so more than 50 views in 2 days is heaven for me. As long as y'all keep reading, I'll keep posting! I'm so excited to go on this adventure with you guys! If this story hits 100 reads, I'll establish a weekly post regimin, seeing as summer is about to start and I'm going to have free time on my hands. Dont foget to leave me some love! Wether its a review or a favorite, I don't really care. Until next time, this is TJ Banks, signing off!

As soon as his face disappeared behind the door, a river began to pour from her eyes. She'd done her absolute best to keep her composure in front of him, but she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. It was as if her will to appear unmoved was a fragile dam that had finally hit its breaking point and flooded a whole village. It was as if someone hadn't opened a running pipe for days and eventually, it all came bursting out, and not in a good way.

Collapsing in front of the door, she huddled into herself, cradling her knees with shaky hands that couldn't comprehend what had just occurred. In her moment of disbelief and shock, she felt her hand for one of the only things she's had for 10 long months to comfort her: her wedding ring. It was a reminder of the promise she'd made to him and the one he made to her. That he would always come back to her, the love of his life. A reminder that she'd tried to take his eye out with.

 _The love of his life._

Here she was, mulling over the words that he'd just rattled off to her in hopes that he would win her over. Most times when he said it, it had meant the world to her. Now, it meant next to nothing.

 _The love of his life._

The one person that completed him. The one person who he would always put above everyone else. The one person who he would never betray; he'd always be there for her. At least that's what he said a little more than a year ago. Maybe she's treating him too harshly, she thought. _Maybe, he deserves a chance to expla- No. Stop it right there,_ she thought. _I'm not going to let him explain why he had an affair. He deserves to be punished for what he did, and that punishment should fit his crime. He'd have to lose her, and there is no way around it._ She'd take her things and move back to the city with Papa. There, she'd take care of him until he passed away and maybe, one day, marry again.

But, if she did this, she'd be punishing herself as well, she quickly realized. Living here at the castle with him has been…incredible. Before he left for his "diplomatic voyage", they did all the awesome things newlyweds do. He took her to see and experiance Greece, a place she'd only read about in her favorite mythology books but had longed to visit. The buildings were grander than her imagination could have ever begun to speculate, and the temples were even grander. Even after their sureal honeymoon, Belle and Adam kept busy at the castle. Wether they were taking walks in the garden or reading in the library, they rarely were apart.

Most days Adam didn't get out of bed before noon, but Belle always did, no matter the activities of the night before. She could be incredibly sore from helping around the castle all day, or other _fun_ activities, and long for nothing but the warmth of her husband wrapped around her, but her biological clock said otherwise. Living as a peasant, she had to be up with the sun and be down with it and as they say, old habits die hard. The only person who it really hindered was Adam, seeing as whenever he retired to the West Wing with his own itinerary for the night she'd, more often than not, be knocked out with a book falling out her hand as she drifted deeper into her sleep.

Even when he was gone, she'd managed to entertain herself throughout the days and nights. There were still some parts of the castle she hadn't seen when he left, and the servants were more than happy to introduce it to her. Cogsworth was finally able to give her the entire history of all of the beautiful artwork that littered the halls and the walls and the rooms that filled the castle. Lumiere, being a witty, perceptive man aided her in exploring the extensive gardens that draped the hillside surrounding the castle, which quickly became one of her favorite places as he no doubt predicted. Mrs. Potts often took tea with her in the library, which was her absolute favorite place. Sort of smiling through the tears, she recalled the day before when everyone was hustling around and preparing everything for Adams' arrival. Although she hadn't expected it, Mrs. Potts dropped everything she was doing to spend the half hour with Belle that she did every day in the library, having tea and chatting about meaningless but wonderful things.

The thought of the kindest woman she'd ever met giving her the attention a daughter would receive, warmed her heart as Belle was reluctantly pulled back into the present by a soft knock on the door. Quickly, she stood up, brushed herself off and wiped her face to hide the stains of tears that still lingered as she readied herself for whoever was behind that door. "Come in, it's just me", Belles soft voice sang as it bounced off the walls of the empty room. Silently and swiftly a hooded figure entered the room, slowly shutting the door silently behind it, anxiously waiting to hear the click of the latch catching. "Wait, I presumed you were one of the servants coming in to check on me. Who are you and what are you doing in here?" she asked with urgency and her voice shaking in alarm. The figure turned to face her, yet it's face was obstructed by the shadows cast by the candlelight. Despite the hidden features, she was almost certain she knew who this was, and part of her hoped she was right. The other part of her hoped it wasn't him. She hoped he was intelligent enough to realize that his presence was most unwelcome and he'd just leave her alone.

So, feigning innocence, she decided to play along and just hope it's not who she thinks. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave, I don't know who you are and frankly, I've had a bad night. So, if you could see your way out…." The figure ripped off its cloak and exposed the bright reddish-orange hair she had been half hoping, half dreading to see. It exposed its perfectly chiseled face and no longer bright but now slightly dim blue eyes. His face was set in a serious expression that meant he wasn't about to be dismissed and his lips were pressed in a firm line, as they were when he was about to put someone in their place. "You're going to listen to me, my love; and I promise you that by tomorrow morning, you'll think twice about sending for that lawyer."


	3. The Art of Persuasion

**Authors Notes**

Wowie, you guys are eating this stuff up! I quickly reached 100 visitors or 100 readers and I even got a review on this story soooo, like I promised, I looked at my mostly empty calendar and said "Ya know what? I think I'll release a new chapter every Wednesday but today I'll release it early just for y'all and cause I can't wait!" I hope that makes you guys happy. At the very least, you guys know that I have full intentions of seeing this story through to the end. I appreciate you guys for reading and don't forget to leave me a favorite or a review (shoutout to Leefa my first reviewer)! Until next time, this is TJ Banks, signing off! (PS: I'm working on a new project that relates to a totally different fandom, so keep an eye out for it on my profile,if you're interested)

 **...**

"No" she said simply, her arms crossed over her chest with her face as steady as his. She looked…irritated, but, relieved. Like she had been hoping he'd come, but was annoyed that he did. God, he wanted so badly to hold her. He wanted to caress her obviously tear stained cheeks and kiss away the hurt he'd caused her. He wanted to wake up tomorrow lost in her arms among the sea of blankets that covered their bed. He just wanted to forget that all of this happened. To forget the anger bubbling up inside of him; to forget that awful night. He just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before he'd left. Before he'd betrayed her and caused her so much grief and pain.

Instead, he let his navy-blue cloak fall to the floor as he stepped forward slowly, trying his best not to relapse back into his old ways. The 6 months they'd enjoyed after the curse was broken while they were married did wonders for his temper. He rarely got upset, seeing as his life was perfect and there was nothing to be upset about. But being away from Belle for so long, and doing what he did to her, set him back _a lot._ Perhaps, too much.

"Yes, you will. You _must_ at least hear my side of the story" he softly growled at her through gritted teeth, his anger rapidly dripping through his shaky grasp on it. "I don't have to do anything, especially anything you tell me to. I'm my own person, _Adam_ " she spat at him like he was some unwanted vermin that had shown up unexpectedly. It hurt his heart to hear her say his name with such hate in her voice, when usually she said it with nothing but love and endearment.

He stopped moving towards her and looked down at his feet, full of guilt and shame. He couldn't look at beautiful her face gleaming in the candlelight, as it was late and the only other light around was the moon. The anger he had still festered, but it was quiet now. He still couldn't believe he had let his guard down like that and let some _whore_ lead him to her room so easily; had he really been that drunk?

She wasn't even close to Belle, on any and every level! Belle was beautiful, _she_ was not as beautiful. Belle was very intelligent and hard working, _she_ was given a chance at a good education, but declined it and chose to to coast through life, never working for a thing. Belle was kind, selfless, and true. _She_ was selfish, rude, and shallow. They were complete opposites in every way, and if he had the chance to do it all again, he'd choose Belle every single time. So why didn't he this time? The only time it counted; the only time that it mattered, he chose the worst possible outcome. _Why?_

 _Ouch_ , he thought, as the pillow Belle threw at his head hit him harder than he thought any person her size could throw a pillow. "Did you hear what I said, Adam? You need to leave. _Now._ " She was almost screaming now and had opened the door for him to leave, but he couldn't leave. Not until she'd listened to him.

With a mixture of guilt, shame, and mostly misdirected anger, he rushed to her, bearing his teeth like the beast he used to be, and grabbed her roughly by her shoulders. He picked her up, her feet no longer touching the ground, and threw her onto the bed they used to share. With his heart pounding, and face almost red as his hair, he looked into her eyes and saw something he hadn't seen since the first time her saw her: pure fear.

He imagined how awful he looked: practically foaming at the mouth, slightly hunched over as if he were too tall for the room, hands ready to strike at the slightest protest. He almost wanted to scare her. He almost wanted her to be frozen in fear, so he could finally explain his reckless actions, but in his fury, he'd forgotten that this was the _worst_ possible way to convince her to stay and forgive him.

He watched her for a few seconds while he calmed down, as she sat on the edge of the bed with an expression he'd seen when she'd first seen the beast: too shocked to move and too scared to say anything. Her natural stubbornness had brought her this far and Adam hoped silently that she'd put her pride aside for just two minutes so he could give her the explanation she deserved.

After a minute of nothing being said, Adam took a deep breath, and having calmed down he said coolly, "Belle, I'm so sorry. I let my temper get the best of me. I should never grab you that way… unless requested to do so" he said with a hint of a smirk on his lips. He looked at her face as he said this. The shock and fear were gone, replaced by something he couldn't quite recognize. Was it that same look from earlier? Is she pleased but annoyed that he grabbed her so violently? He was sure of it when there was a ghost of a smile on her face as he finished the sentence, and it appeared that she was remembering all the times when she did ask him to grab her like that. All those times when she wanted him to return to acting like the beast he used to be; only for an hour or two of course.

It was a sweet moment, that lasted no longer than two seconds because her face quickly returned to its cold and blank state from before. "….It's ok" she whispered while looking at her feet. After a long pause, she got up and walked cautiously to the door. Before he could do or say anything against her actions, she put up a hand, "I'm just going to close the door. I don't think you want the entire castle to know what happened over there, do you? You know, word travels fast around here." As she closed the door silently he slowly nodded his head in agreement as she settled herself back onto the edge of the bed, loudly rustling the satin sheets in the quiet room.

He waited for permission to speak, as he didn't want to push her anymore, verbally or physically. She crossed her arms across her chest and with a stern expression on her face, she said "You have two minutes to tell me the truth. If you lie to me in any way, and trust me I'll know, I won't be here tomorrow when you wake up." _Two minutes_ , he smiled to himself. Who could ask for more?


	4. Confession Part 1

**Authors Notes**

Hey guys! Sooo, I've got finals coming up and I need the maximum amount of time to study, buuuut I promised a chapter. Therefore, a chapter you shall have, no matter how late it is (it is very late rn, just sayin). It may not be my bestest, but it's something, and I hope you'll bear with me just for these two weeks. Next week you will have part 2 because this became much longer than I originally thought so I broke it up into 2 chapters. Along with that, the "new project" I had been working on has been put on hold, for now. Thank you guys again for reading and keep doing so, so I can have a reason to live-I mean write :). Well, that's it so, until next time, this is TJ Banks signing off! (I'll do my best to maintain the schedule)

Disclaimer Reminder: This interpretation of the Disney classic is mine, but I don't own any of the amazing characters or any of that sweet Disney money

 **...**

 _YOU ARE AN IDIOT! A WEAKLING! THE SCUM ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? NO! DON'T YOU DARE LET HIM-_ Belle's thoughts were screaming at her during the entire exchange that occured between her and her husband. _NO NO NO! ALL HE DID WAS FORCEFULLY GRAB YOU AND ALLUDE TO BETTER TIMES, AND NOW YOU'RE GIVING HIM THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT? YOU MAY AS WELL STRIP DOWN NOW BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY HE'LL- No, it won't get that far,_ she interrupted herself. This heated internal conflict that was going on in her head gave her pause. Why was she letting him talk to her? Hadn't she just sworn to leave? Was'nt the inevitable descion made only minutes ago? Didn't she settle on living with Papa and remarring some day?

Yet here she was, staring into his soft bright blue eyes that had become tinged with flecks of gold, courtesy of the flickering candles that illuminated his relaxed face. He was no longer tense, and appeared to have a sense of assurance, like he was sure he'd convince her that his crime was not grave but, almost forgivable. He also looked appreciative, almost grateful, of the limited amount of time he had.

Seeing him in this new scene, calm, gentle, and with good intentions (as she'd always seen him before) gave Belle a few sharp feelings of regret for having treated him so harshly at first. The guilt hit her in waves, from her throwing things at his head to her literal throwing him out of their room. She was coming to her senses, losing the anger that drove her actions thus far, and was beginning to notice a big problem: her.

The whole point of this was to show him how badly he'd hurt her, how close he was to losing her. How easy it would be for her to walk out of the huge front door of the castle and out of his life forever. This torment was meant to shake him, to punish him, and to make him realize how important Belle was to his life. It was supposed to show how he wouldn't be able to functon without her, and if she did leave, he'd be begging and pleading for her to stay. But, instead, it only showed how much she loved him and how much she was almost willing to tolerate from this man, who had a claim on her heart.

She'd developed a deep love for him that trancended any wrong he could do her and any plight he could bring upon her. If right in this moment he had accidentally infected her with a deadly disease, she couldn't have been mad at him. At least not for long.

"Did you hear me, _ma cherie_?" Belle snapped out of her troubled thoughts and was whisked back into the present by the clear and soft sound of his voice. He sounded just like he did before he left, wistful and dreamy, swept away by the mear ability to call her his. She could barely stop herself from sighing in delight at such a pleasant sound.

She wanted so badly to smile at him, tell him that she understood and forgave him for his mistake. She just wanted him to smile back at her, to kiss her, to sweep her off of her feet and join her in his rightful place, by her side and in their bed, and to never leave.

But at the same time, she wanted to be more upset. After all she should be, shouldn't she? This wasn't some long and lingering glance at a beautiful girl at a ball. This wasn't an accidental occurance where he bumped into her and all of a suddden her lips were on his for a quick second. And it cetainly wasn't something as trivial as any example she could think up. This was _bad._ He messed up, _big time._ But...at the very least, she could let him... _attempt_ to give a plausible explanation as to why he ignored the gold he already possessed for a piece of busted up bronze.

"No, I didn't. Would you mind repeating that?" she said with sarcastic politness. Sarcasm was her game and, besides guilt, was the only other weapon she had that didn't make her feel terrible for using on him. She set her hands in her lap, crossed her ankles, and feigned complete interest in whatever it was that he was about to say.

Looking the tiniest bit wounded, Adam opened his mouth. It was in that moment she knew, right then and there, that it was only the truth which began to leak out.

 **...**

He had been to an event hosted by his Uncle Jean-Louis in Italy. The event was more for pleasure than business, and Adam originally had no intentions of attending, until he had heard it was in Venice.

Belle had read about Venice before in books and letters written by lovers of the beautiful city or those who, like Belle and evidentally Adam, had never seen it and longed to. Belle was never a huge romantic, but just the thought of being in a epicenter of the perfect mixture of Renaissance and Gothic architecture, a place connected by waterways that brought you from island to island, a place teeming with beauty from the people to the canals to the gorgeous buildings, was almost too much for her to imagine.

Adam, her kindred spirit for sure, felt almost the same, except his motives were more romantic based than hers. He said he'd thought about planning a surprise for Belle, to thank her for enduring 10 long months without him, and a trip to the floating city seemed the best way to do it. Not only would he find a beautiful vacation spot for his wife if he attended this waste-of-his-time party, he'd also be able to reunite with his uncle, whom he had not seen since he was a young boy and when his parents were still alive.

And there is where he met _her._ He first saw her across the room at the event. It was a split second glance that he didn't even think twice about, until she cut into a not so noble conversation an already tipsy Adam was having with his uncle, who himself was not such a noble man, as Adam later realized. He pretended not to recognize her, hoping she'd walk away when she got the hint. Instead, she handed him a fresh glass of champagne to replace the half empty one that was in his hand previously and began to inject herself into their conversation.

The later the event lead into the night, the more Adam fell under the influence of the endless flow of champagne being supplied to him by this mystery girl. He should have known better, he scolded himself in front of Belle, than to indulge so much and not expect any reprecussions. After all, he had little to no experiance with alcohol, and he severly paid the price for his unwillingness to stop himself. His uncle Jean-Louis was of no help, seeing as he was having an incredibly difficult time standing up on his own two feet without falling all over his latest conquest.

With his uncle pased out on an armchair nearby and most of the guests cleared out, it was easy enough for her to convince him to follow her back to her hotel. He was like a street dog in need of shelter and she was the accepting patron who welcomed the stray with open arms.

The next morning he woke with a splitting headache, a throat dryer than a desert, and to the terrible earsplitting sound of a bathtub running. He could barely recall the night before as he was hit with feelings of disgrace, utter humiliation, and the most powerful of all, guilt. He slowly sat up and held up his hand up and let the sunlight refelct off of the golden band that lived on his left ring finger. He felt so ashamed, so unclean, so _...so guilty_. As his head collapsed back on the pillow, the name of the biggest mistake he'd ever made came back to him clear as day, _Francesca._

As if on que, the water stopped, and all he heard for the next half hour was scratchy singing and the swishing of the water as she moved around in the bathtub.

His head felt almost good enough to where he could gather his courage and what little dignity he had left, get dressed and get out of there as soon as possible, but he knew he had to be fast; it was now or never and he couldn't stay there another minute.

Then, he hears the awful singing finally stop. The water sounds like someone is getting out of it and quite quickly. Half-dressed and startled, he threw on his cloak and grabbed his silk buttondown shirt, waistcoat, and shoes and ran out of there as fast as his sort of steady feet could take him. As he exited the second floor of the building they were in to attempt the samll set of stairs, he could almost hear Francesca calling his name.


	5. Confession Part 2

**Authors Notes**

Hey guys! Hows it going? I hope all is well. I have to let anyone who's waiting patiently for this story to update weekly know that on Saturday will begin the hiatus for this story. I won't be able to update this story for about a month, maybe less, so don't think that I've abandoned it, I just left for a bit. You can expect the story to resume by late July/early August. Let me know what you think of this chapter and if the length was ok. I know it's a little longer than I usually write but I figured it would be a nice farewell gift to you guys since I'll be gone for a month. Leave me a nice review (or a mean one. I like constructive critisism) and/or a favorite. Don't forget, I really appreciate you guys and Until next time, this is TJ Banks, signing off!

 **...**

As he stumbled out of the inn Francesca was staying in for the week - or was it the month? She had said, but he couldn't remember - and walked down the mostly empty road towards the boats to get out of there as soon as he could.

He buttoned his silk shirt back onto his torso, and he never thought he could find such comfort in a garment. It was as if it protected him from the heinous deed he'd done the night before, which was still in pieces. The sound of his waistcoat slipping over the soft silk became one of the most heavenly noises he'd ever heard, and the feeling of his soiled socks slipping into his dressy pair of boots was the ultimate comfort.

Throughout his hurried dressing session, all along the road, he recieved stange looks from the few women who were up preparing for the day, seeing as the sun was only just above the horizon. Their looks gave him no hesitation, as he was a man on a mission: get back to his Uncle's palace as soon as posssible, so he could get out of this city.

Although it was pure bliss to be dressed again, he was still feeling uneasy about the night before. All he could remember was the feel of the emerald green chiffon dress Francesca was wearing, as his hand draped across her back and around her waist. He remembered her wide light green eyes looking up at him slyly, like she'd known from the moment they'd made eye contact, that the night would end with him in her room. He could almost hear a faint voice saying, "Go, have fun! Just be back by high noon tomorrow." The voice was so familiar, he could almost place it...his uncle.

Then it dawned on him: Francesca had been successfully flirting with an incredibly intoxicated Adam, and his Uncle - who did not recall that Adam was married - gave them his "blessing" to go off into the night together. And Adam, having been far from lucid, easily obliged.

He could finally remember all the details of the terrible night before: the way Francesca's head fell back and her way too long (for his taste) murky brown hair fell from the front of her shoulders, as she laughed way too hard at a joke he'd made, the way her dull eyes got incredibly wide when he'd mentioned that this was his uncles party, and the way her not-quite-soft skin brushed against him as she tried her very best to flirt with him. He remembered thinking that the only way she would ever convince him to even think about entertaining her insinuations was if he was so drunk he could barely stand.

She must have read his mind, because that's almost exactly what happened.

Adam halted in front of the small dock which held a multitude of boats that would be able to take him to his uncle's palace. His tired and still hazy eyes searched for nearest one to him, so that he didn't risk falling into the sea while walking along the already unsteady docks. He did his best to strut confidently to the closest sailor, pay him, and climb into his boat without having a fall. The last thing he wanted to do, at this point, was to embarass himself further. After all, he was a Prince, and he still had a sliver of reputation he needed to protect.

Along the way, he felt overcome with a sense of worry. Worry that his uncle, most likely suffering worse than himself, would be furious with him; seeing as no one outside of the castle knew about his curse. He would tell him that he should have showed more modesty and decorum than what he displayed. Not only that, but he would most likely tear him a new one over dismissing his wife like this. _Oh no. Belle_ he had thought.

She's who he should be worried about. Forget his uncle. His uncle may be unreasonable and grumpy when he's sober, but his reaction was like a speck of dust compared to how much Belle's reaction to this meant to him.

While the boat carried him slowly towards his uncle's palace, he dreaded facing his wife. Overcome with regret and shame, he realized that him dissapointing his less than reasonable uncle was _nothing_ compared to how much he'd hurt Belle, and the wrath he would incur when he returned home.

Of course, he deserved it. Any mean words or punishments she could dream up were well earned, and there was no coming back from that. His thoughtless decisions had guaranteed him some kind of repercussion that would impair his marriage, forever. The moment he had let Francesca grab his hand and drag him out of the ballroom, it was final. He had begun the fight for the most amazing woman he'd ever had the pleasure to meet, and he wasn't about to let her go so easily; not again.

Belle was a beautiful, intelligant, witty, and compassionate woman, and he had to believe that she would know he wasn't dumb enough to do this unimpaired and unencouraged. He would have to prove to her that his love for her transcends any drunken feelings he may have had while with... _Francesca._

All he could do was think of her smile on the day he left. The way her eyes twinkled like the stars and her soft skin glowed like the sun. The way her dark brown hair that was draped across her shoulders fell down her back as she hugged him farewell. The way her light pink dress hugged her body in all the right places and swayed around her, as if she were wearing a cloud. The way her sweet voice seemed to follow the wind as she said goodbye. The sweet smell of flowers that overtook his nose when he gave her one last kiss. And he couldn't forget the single tear that fell from her hazel eyes that she had thought he didn't see as he was hugging Mrs. Potts and Chip who had come to see him off.

With a somber look, Adam stepped out of the small boat and paid the man his fair; it was time he return home and leave Venice in the past. With a hushed thank you, the sailor returned to his boat, leaving Adam alone with only his taunting thoughts on the shore to walk the agonizing trek up to his uncle's palace on the large isolated island it was perched on. As he breathed in the salty air and took in the beautiful waves that died on the shore, he realized that no matter what horrors occured here, he would truly miss this place.

After relaying the night before's events to his uncle, and getting scolded severly by his uncle, Adam wrote a letter to home, announcing his return. It was incredibly difficult to hide the regret and guilt that oozed out of every part of him. He forced out happy words that signified excitement and anticipation and rejected the words that exemplified the hatred he felt towards himself and the blinding guilt that was beginning to overwhelm him.

In two days he'd be home, in the arms of his loving and supportive wife who he'd longed to see after ten long months of being apart. In two days he'd be forced to look into her sparkling eyes and smile as if nothing happened and pretend that life was sweeter than it had ever been, now that he was home with her. In two days, he'd be forced to tell her the truth about the end of his diplomatic trip of Europe and why they could never visit the tainted city of Venice.

He would have to explain the way the beautiful buildings had been stained by his blunder and how the crystal clear waters had been clouded by his unruly aberration. He would have to explain his actions and why he couldn't stop himself; why he'd allowed himself to stoop so low, when there was no lady as fair and deserving of all his affections as the one he was in love with.

Most of all, he knew he would have to prove his undying love for her somehow. He knows that only words won't be enough; this kind of injury will take time to heal. He knew and had come to terms with the fact that the two of them have a long journey ahead of them. A journey of healing, hope, and rebuilding of the trust that Adam had broken between them.

He could only hope and pray that she'd be able to find it somewhere in her huge heart to forgive him for what he'd done. Otherwise, there was no hope for them.

 **...**

Adam stared intently down at her face, searching desperately for some type of reaction. Whether it was compassion or anger, he didn't care. He just needed to see something. _Anything._

"Belle, I can't apologize to you enough. There are no words that I posses in my vocabulary to express the regret I feel for having caused you this large amount of grief, sadness, and hurt. And don't try to tell me it hasn't affected you and that you haven't been crying. I can see the tear stains on your cheeks, the drops of leftover tears on your dress, and your red eyes. It's all so obvious and it's all my fault." He knelt down in front of her while she was still sitting on the bed, appearing unmoved by his confession. He tried to take her hands into his again but she resisted him, her hands like rocks; cold, hard and unmoved.

"Belle. Please. I meant what I said earlier: you are the only woman in my life. You are the most important woman in my life. My love for you transends anything that could come between us, even this. I can not afford to lose you. I-I don't know what I'd do if..." Adam searched her eyes intently, and he could have been imagining it (and he was sure he wasn't) but, he thought he saw her eyes start to soften. She was returning his gaze of affection and sorrow with one of understanding. He began to smile softly as he realized that she loved him too much to hate him as much as she wanted to; as much as she ought to.

"Stand up, please" she whispered to him. Immediately he stood up as she slowly rose from her spot on the edge of the bed. He grasped for her hands once more, and this time she complied. Her small and soft warm hands were trembling, as if she wanted to break down in front of him and spill her heart out to him. To share all of her feelings of betrayal, hurt and anger he knew she must be feeling. To tell him of how much she missed him while he was away and how terrible he was for what he did.

But, she didn't. Instead she took in a sharp and shaky breath, looked deeply into his eyes, and with a sad and small smile she said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

With that she lightly squeezed his hands, and quietly walked out of the room, and down the hall to God knows where.

At first, he didn't know how to react. He sat in her spot on the bed in disbelief, still warm from her sitting there for so long, and put his head in his hands, letting his reddish-orange hair fall around his face. He wanted to scream and jump and laugh and dance to the rythmn of his heart, which was racing. But at the same time, he wanted to cry, and shout and curse at no one in particular.

She left with a smile, that was something. She'd also said she'd see him tomorrow. But he just couldn't shake the sad look on her face, in her eyes, as she let go of his hands. It shook him to his core and made him realize just how hurt she really was.

So, he did the most reasonable thing he could think of: he cried. He cried for Belle and the pain and suffering he'd put her through. He cried for himself, because he was so ashamed of his recklessness and his thoughtlessness. Lastly, he cried because it was all he could do to keep from injecting his fist into a wall and running after her.


	6. Friendly Advice

**Authors Notes**

Hey guys! Did you miss me? I missed writing and I'm so ready get back on this horse. Don't forget to leave me review's and/or a favorite. It lets me know that you guys are actually enjoying this and I'm not just writing for myself, heheh. Anyway, enough with the self-promoting mush, lets get back to business. Prepare for the weekly return of a very intense story of Adam and Belle! Until next time, this is TJ Banks, signing off!

* * *

It finally fell. The tear she'd been holding while she listened to him tell her what happened just a few days ago. The tear that would have confirmed his suspicisons that she was hurting an incredible amount inside, but wouldn't let him see, broke through the barrier she attempted to create and exposed her true feelings. Luckily, the hallway she quickly sped down was mostly empty and nobody- most importantly Adam- saw her in a moment of weakness.

It was better this way. She loved him so much, but right now she needed to figure her feelings out on her own, not completely on her own, just not with him. She couldn't let him see her pain, because if he knew how much it hurt, he'd never have let her go. Adam was extremely protective of her and her feelings; sometimes to the point of treating her like a child, which either lead to a nasty fight and him sleeping downstairs, or a heated argument that lasted until the next morning and even, in extreme cases, several days.

Therefore, this was the best course of action, for the both of them.

He didn't need to know that as he told her the truth, her heart ached with sadness and betrayal. He needn't know how her brain had been screaming with anger and resentment, and her heart was flooded with an overwhelming amount of sadness. There was no specific word for what she was feeling, in any language. This mix of emotions was unholy, and never meant to be experienced at the same time within the same person.

Naturally, she needed some of this burden lifted off of her. She needed to share how she felt with someone who understood. Someone who could sympathize with her and make her heart feel less heavy and her mind feel less like killing him in his sleep. Someone who had gone through a similar situation before with their lover...Someone she could trust.

She raced downstairs towards the servants quarters and her eyes frantically searched for the woman she needed to speak to; the only woman who truly understood what she was going through, and how to correctly handle a situation as dire as this.

"Babette, are you here?" she softly called. The few servants that were still awake and preparing for bed her gave her smiles and pointed her towards the main sitting room in the front of the castle. She thanked them with a bright smile, but before she left she quietly mentioned, "Oh! If Adam comes here looking for me, please don't tell him where I went or who I'm with" and she walked quickly towards the salon as the few who were there all nodded back solemnly in agreement, all well aware of what he had done and completely understanding why she'd be avoiding him.

As Belle arrived upon the grand sitting room, she halted before she could be noticed by her friend, seeing as Babette was quite busy with the task at hand.

Lumiere had his hands working furiously at the buttons and strings that held together her uniform and in turn, Babette was having a particularly easy time getting his white linen shirt unbuttoned, being careful not to tear a pearl button off. Although, there had been many days when Belle noticed Lumiere had a button or two missing where it should be almost impossible to lose one, and days when Babette's uniform was torn a little on the sleeves or towards the bottom hem.

Just before anyone lost any necessary garments, Belle cleared her throat loudly, and the two lovers turned bright red and paused immidiately. They quickly truned around towards the source of the sound, looking incredibly guilty. Upon noticing it was Belle, they both visibly relaxed a little and Babette was the one who mustered enough courage to speak. "Ah, Belle i-i-it's you. I'm s-so sorry, we thought you and t-the master were..." Belle happily laughed at her nervousness, she needed that, and said "No, I'm sorry. I guess I should have realized that my best friend has a life of her own too. And it is getting late, I shouldn't have presumed you'd be at my beck and call at this late an hour. Although, since you're still around...would you mind if we had a chat? It's about...Adam".

Belle noticed that at the sound of his name coming out her mouth and it not being directed at the man himself, she found herself wringing her hands nervously and feeling a little guilty. She was never the gossiping type, even back home in the village. When Gastons' three biggest fans would try to talk and gossip with her about his "bulging muscles" or his "immpeccable hair", she was always disinterested and withdrawn in the conversation, if she remained in it at all. It feels wrong to talk to someone else about another persons looks or business. And it feels especially wrong to talk to someone else about something as intimate as her relationship with Adam.

This was bigger than his hair or his muscles; which were worth talking about if she's honest with herself; this is the fate of her marriage at stake. What goes on between a man and his wife is their business...but, this was different. Babette was her trustworthy friend who she'd entrust with her life. If there was one person she knew she could tell her darkest secrets to, it would be her.

There was also the little fact that practically the entire castle already knew about Adams' "accidental" infidelity, due to her inability to be furious quietly, but Belle felt like her response was well earned and more than approriate. But then again, when Babette had caught Lumiere with another woman, she hadn't known it untill Babette had told her herself.

Babette's face took on a serious expression, and she dismissed Lumiere after a quick peck on his cheek. She motioned for her to join her on the nearest sofa as she straightened up her dress and adjusted a string or two. Belle couldn't help but chuckle to herself at their eagerness. She couldn't blame them either: Babette was a beautiful girl with short, dark brown hair and curious hazel eyes eyes and Lumiere was a ruggedly handsome, but refined man. It was as if the two were complete opposites; if Belle had saw them out in the village where she lived before, she never would have thought to put them together. Yet here they are, so in love that they can barely keep their hands off of each other.

Her amused gaze fell on her hands and her slight smile dissapeared as she remembered the reason she came down here. "So, ma amie, what's troubling you? I mean, I know what's troubling you, the whole castle is a buzz with gossip, but what in particular is weighing heavy on your mind?"

Her fast paced speach and lighthearted tone brought a small smile to Belles' face. Talking to Babette, even about the worst things imaginable, was always incredibly entertaining. Just sitting there and letting her ramble about the menial things in life, was a good half hour of free entertainment filled with laughter, even if a word never left Belle's mouth.

"...When you caught Lumiere with the other woman that first and only time...what did you...how did you..." Belle struggled to find the right words to say. She didn't want to pry, but she needed a plan of action. And the only way she could form it, would be to hear another scorned woman's story, and compare notes.

"Ah, I think I know what you're asking ma amie. Oh la la, it was a long time ago; he has since learned his lesson you know. He swore on his mother's grave that he'd never touch another woman in that way again unless it was me, and to this day he has kept his word. Oh! My apologies Belle, you didn't come to hear that. You wish to know how I dealt with the situation?"

"Yes, and I'm so sorry for prying I jus-" "Nonsense! Its ok, _ma amie_ , I'm happy to help. He's never done anything like this to you before, non?" "No, never. And before you ask, no I was not in a relationship before him, ever, remember?" Belle had this exact question come up in conversation many times before with her. Babette, and many other servants, always automatically assumed that she had many men before meeting Adam (although, she never could understand why and Babette never quite told her why when she had asked her). The only thing remotely close to a relationship she'd had before she came to the castle was Gaston and that wasn't even a relationship. It was one-sided infatuation and lust that came from his side and his alone.

"Ahh oui, oui, I remember you telling me that. That first time - and the last time - was excruciatingly painful. The way you reacted was nothing compared to what I did to him. You didn't see it because we handled all of our..how you say...err dirty laundry behind closed doors in the servants quarters. You didn't know, but all of the other servants know almost every detail of my Lumiere's' infidelity. The only thing they don't know is who he cheated with. And that mademoiselle got what was coming to her, let me tell you-"

"Babette? I'd love to hear about your ingenius revenge plot but it really is late and I want to get a little bit of rest and have some sort of course of action before facing Adam tomorrow."

"Oh! _Ma die_ u why didn't you stop me? I'm sorry Belle, I must have gotten sidetracked again! Any-who, here's how I handled the situation: the night he told me, I was furious and attacked him with every verbal weapon I could. I called him every name in the book and then some. It was quite extraordinary Belle I wish you had been there. Anyway, for the next three days, I ignored him while silently torturing him, with simple things. For example, say he was standing in the kitchen waiting to serve dinner to you and the master, I would loosen my uniform to his tastes and, clean the kitchen."

As she happily reiterated the diabolical punishment, her eyes lit up with a devilish glint and her small smile became a sinister one as she seemed to remember the way he longed to touch her, and how everytime he tried, he got a kick in the shin and a spitball in his face.

"To this day, he swears that he has never touched another. I hope for his sake that he is not lying, because next time, I won't be so kind" she said darkly as her smile faded completely and her eyes turned dark as she stared down into her lap.

No more than thirty seconds later, her face lit back up as she looked back up at Belle across the sofa with her hopeful eyes, hoping to have inspired the vixen in her to do as she did to her lover.

"So, did that help?" Babette asked with a hint of that devilish glint in her eye as Belle returned her gaze with a bewildered one of her own.

"Babette, that was...interesting, to say the least. I don't think that's how I'm going to go about it, but I appreciate the advice" she said as she rose from the couch to retire to her bedroom.

"Ahh, anytime dear friend. I'm sorry I wasn't more help" Babette said as she stood to meet Belle for a hug."No, Babette, you gave great advice...I just need to sleep on it, ok? _Bon Nuit ma amie_ " she said as she pulled away from the hug and began to make her way back to the East Wing.

As she passed the staircase to the West Wing, she slowed her paced as she solemnly gazed at their room. It didn't take long for her to begin to be flooded with happy memories of beautiful days ending and breathtaking mornings beginning there.

All the sweet things that seemed, from where she was standing, a world away.

Although she was sad, there were no tears, because it was in that moment that she realized that in her heart she knew they were going towork this out, together. That all of this hurt and pain will not be in vain, for it will make their relationship stronger and bring them closer together than they ever thought they'd be.

She loved him too much to let a single woman tear apart what they both knew to be True Love and she had come too close to loosing one of the only things she'd loved before, and she wasn't about to let it happen again.

Those two minutes in which she thought he was dead, had shattered her whole world. Just the mere thought of loosing him then instantly drove her to tears. Now, here she was, pushing him away and on the verge of loosing him, again and she couldn't take it anymore.

It was during that walk from the staircase of the West Wing to the room she stayed in when she first arrived at the castle that she came to a sound decision of how she was going to approach this. And when she laid down in that bed and felt the heaviness of the emptyness next to her, she knew one thing for certain: she was getting her husband back, for good.


	7. A Sweet Dream or A Beautiful Nightmare

**Authors Notes**

Hello fellow humans! Hope you guys are enjoying your holiday if it is one for you right now. I'm honestly having too much fun writing this story but just a fair warning, I think it's coming to an end soon. Unless...I hear from you guys that you want more. I don't mean to be a beggar but, can I get some reviews pleeeaasseee? And they don't have to be good! Beggars can't be choosers. I'm looking forward to a lot of love from you guys (hopefully) but don't forget that just by reading and favoriting, you are making me **very** happy, so thank you for that. So, until next time, this is TJ Banks signing off! 3

 **...**

 _The sunlight had just begun to pour into the dark room as Adams eyes slowly fluttered open. He was enveloped in the warmth of their thick burgundy sheets that were coated in satin and felt heavenly on his bare skin. He rolled onto his right side, half expecting to meet an empty spot, and he was surprised to find lying still next to him was a very warm and very nude Belle._

 _She was facing the door, but he could still see her left cheek, which was light pink, and he could tell from the sliver of her pale chest that was exposed, her breathing was shallow and steady. She was deep in her sleep, so peaceful and fragile looking. She always looked so perfect while she was sleeping he thought to himself as he watched the blanket that covered the majority of her rise and fall at a steady pace. Not that she didn't look perfect every day, because she did, there was just something so surreal about her when she slept._

 _He was so glad he was beginning to break her out of her habit of rising incredibly early, because now that he found her asleep in his arms when he woke more often, he could admire her in an intimate way that he wasn't able to during the day. His eyes lazily grazed over her outline in their bed and his fingers slowly and softly played with her dark brown hair that was strewn over her pillow and her shoulders._

 _A smile slowly spread across his face as she turned onto her left side to face him. Even in her sleep she seemed to crave being close to him._

 _Not too much time had passed when her light brown eyes finally opened. The sunlight had almost reached her chest, and the room was beginning to brighten as she blinked slowly a few times, trying to adjust to the barely bright room. When she finally did, the first thing she did was smile at him and the goofy smile that he had painted blatantly on his face._

" _Good morning, handsome" she said sleepily._

" _Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?" He brushed away a small piece of hair that had fallen onto her eye when she had moved. Her eyes fluttered at his touch, and a smile similar to his own planted itself onto her face._

" _Surprisingly, I did. No thanks to you". They had been up quite late the night before, he recalled, as his smile took on a more mischievous demeanor._

" _Well, as I recall, it was your idea to, how did you put it, 'do the devils dance' more than once last night."_

" _At your encouragement!" She scoffed._

" _I remember doing no such thing. I do remember, however, you tossing Les Liaisons Dangereuses onto the night table the moment I walked in and you throwing yourself at me."_

" _Don't you mean you removed it from my hands the moment you walked in? And I did nothing of the sort. I was definitely not throwing myself at you."_

" _You practically begged me to replace the book in your hands with something more entertaining. I assumed you meant me. You had that look on your face that said you needed me right then and there, as long and as much as possible." Adam was beaming sinisterly at the rush of red that he caused to cover her cheeks and face at the mention of how desperate she was for him the night before._

" _Adam!" She chuckled as she playfully hit his firm chest. Her hand remained there as she ran her fingers mindlessly over the short light brown hairs that were located there. She sighed happily and then softly whispered, as if letting her words escape the safety of her mouth would trigger some kind of interruption that would cause them to move, "I wish you didn't have to leave so soon."_

" _I know my love, but the court will be expecting me tomorrow evening and it's a day's journey out there. If I leave any later, I'll miss my opportunity to gain the favor of- "_

" _I know, your fellow royals."_

" _Exactly ma cherie. So, you know why I must go." He placed his hand under the covers and on the base of her back where he began to slowly stroke as a mechanism of comfort. Her breath hitched when he moved lower than he originally intended, which earned a small chuckle from the two of them._

" _Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it" The smile that had adorned her face had faded into a sad frown as her brows furrowed and her eyes locked on to his chest. He frowned and lifted up her chin, so she would have no choice but to look at him, even though he knew she was struggling to do so._

" _Belle look at me. Everything is going to be alright. It'll just be a short 10-month trip and I'll-_

" _Be back before I know it. I know. But it's still a long time to go without you. I already miss you terribly and you haven't even left yet" she said with a sad smirk and her hand on his forearm._

" _It's going to be alright ma coeur. I promise."_

 _He gave her a sad smile as he leaned his head to give her a long, sweet, and passion-filled kiss that made him wonder why he could think of going anywhere without her._

 _As they deepened the kiss, her hands found their place in his hair, locked in and slightly pulled on it while his hands found theirs on her waist bringing her closer to him. And all he did was wish that he could bring her with him._

 _But, the trip will be too long if he brings a passenger. It has to be him and him alone for it to be the most efficient and time saving. Not that he didn't think Belle was efficient, she'd proven that ten times over, but seeing as their marriage is somewhat new, he wanted their second trip away together to be purely for pleasure and not at all for business._

 _But...maybe, just this once, he could overlook that all-business attitude. Her soft skin was begging him to take her with him and her lips were slowly convincing him to just forget the trip altogether. The way her body was pressed against his certainly didn't help his thought process either._

" _...I guess I could leave a little later than originally planned" he whispered to her in between kisses._

" _Splendid" she chuckled against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer._

 _No, he finally thought as he rolled on top of her._

 _I can't bring her. I'd never get out of bed._

...

Abruptly and startled, he woke up, lying face down on those same burgundy sheets in their room. Except this time, he was cold and above the covers, fully clothed, and Belle was nowhere in sight. Adam slowly blinked and looked around the room a little dazed. Everything was just as it was the night before when Belle had left him with nothing but his sorrows and a promise of tomorrow.

He slowly flattened his fisted hands, so he could push himself up off of the bed. He stopped moving when he felt two small and circular objects in his hand. He flipped his hand over, careful not to drop the precious objects, and he lifted them up carefully to examine them. Instantly, he recalled what he was doing the night before when he accidentally fell asleep: he had been examining the wedding rings his wife threw at his eye that day.

After he got over the initial shock of her words, he had begun pacing the floor and coming up with elaborate plans that ranged from lavish vacations, to using brute force to give her no choice but to forgive him. Once he'd tired of that and realized that none of his schemes would work, he sat down at his desk and wrote letter after letter declaring his feelings and why she should forgive him. But as the adrenaline wore off, he started to run out of coherent ways to say "I love you. I'm sorry, come back."

He looked over at his desk from where he was sitting on the bed and saw every one of those letters balled up on the floor. He just couldn't find the perfect words to describe his sorrow and guilt. Then, he'd gone back to pacing the floor and thinking up new schemes.

Hours passed and he was convinced that every scheme he had thought up was terrible, so he just laid down on their bed, with no intention of sleeping, and began looking over her wedding ring. He was going to stay up all night so that if she returned, he wouldn't miss her, and he'd be ready for whatever wrath she'd dreamt up. He had almost made it but by the time the clock struck four, he'd accidentally fallen asleep.

He had caressed each diamond with care, how he'd wished he was able to do to his actual wife. He reminisced about their best days and their bad ones, even that same day. Replaying it over and over again in his mind to pass the hours. But none of that was as cruel as his dream of the morning of his early departure.

He could almost feel the heat from her being in his arms again. He could almost feel the playful blow to his chest as they joked. He could almost feel her soft lips grabbing desperately onto his, as if they'd never see each other again. It was absolute torture to wake up, to find out that all of it was only a dream of a memory.

After agonizing over the love of his life for quite a bit of time, he finally stood up and found his way to the floor length mirror. He took in the sore sight that looked back at him with disgust. He had bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep and hair that resembled one of the bird nests that occupied the garden. The clothes he was wearing were the same ones from yesterday, and they looked the part.

His thoughts drifted to Belle as he turned towards the door to leave and he noticed her brush on their dresser and the blue ribbon coming out of one of the drawers. He left the large mirror and walked across the room to the medium sized dresser next to their closet. He replaced the ribbon and brush into their proper drawer as his thoughts wandered, thinking of all the places she could be.

He hoped she'd gotten sleep. He hoped she didn't stay up waiting for him to come looking for her. He hoped she was up laughing with Babette and having an amazing breakfast made by Mrs. Potts and the kitchen staff and forgetting about the pain he'd caused her. He hoped she was admiring the art in the hall and laughing at Cosworth's' bad jokes. He hoped she was doing everything, _anything_ except waiting for him.

Fearing she was doing the exact opposite and was indeed waiting for him, he opened one of his drawers in that same dresser and grabbed his comb. He quickly undid the knots in his hair and left it down because putting it into a ponytail would take too long for him to get correct, and he wanted to focus all his energy on his mission: find Belle and just make sure she's ok.

He practically burst through the doors of their bedroom, looking relatively close to a madman as the servants stared fearfully at him while he rushed down the hallway and down the staircase of the West Wing.

His first thought was the dining room. It seemed to still be morning time, at the very latest lunch, so he expected to see a typical lunch special spread on the long table. But when he burst through the door all he saw was startled servants who were asking him if he wanted tea or something to eat. He was just about to run off to the library when he heard a familiar voice call for him.

"Mrs. Potts, good morning" he said hurriedly as he met the stout gray-haired woman in the middle of the dining room for a hug. Now was not the time for pleasantries, he needed to find his wife.

"Ohh good morning dear. Or should I say good afternoon. Someone has been quite the sleepyhead today!" she said in her usual giddy tone as she turned her back to Adam while she set the table.

"Oh, heh, yes. That's me...Mr. Sleepyhead. Um, Mrs. Potts, have you seen-"

"Oh dear, come and sit. You must be hungry, you haven't eaten since yesterday before you arrived back home. You know, going that long without a good meal isn't healthy" she prodded on.

Adam rolled his eyes impatiently at the woman and sharply replied, "Mrs. Potts, no thank you. I'm not hungry. Now, can you please tell me if you know where my wi-"

"Adam, hush! Come eat your lunch! Please? You can't tell me you're not fam-"

Just as Adam was about to lose his polite demeanor, Babette entered the dining room quite loudly as to demand their attention. She cleared her throat several times too many, for what appeared to be dramatic effect and made her announcement.

"Mrs. Potts, your job is completed, The Mistress says thank you for your assistance" she nodded towards Mrs. Potts, who had immediately backed away from Adam the moment Babette walked into the room.

Then she turned her warm gaze upon Adam, who's full attention Babette captured the moment she mentioned Belle.

"Master, The Mistress would like to see you out in the gazebo in the gardens. She says its imperative you come to speak with her immediately."

Adam hadn't even heard the last part of what she said. He was out of the kitchen and already halfway out of the castle when she'd finished her full sentence. He already knew everything that he needed to know:

1: She was ok

2: She's in the gazebo waiting for him, and,

3: She didn't leave.


	8. The Garden

**Authors notes**

Ohhh please don't be mad at me! My first day of school was Wednesday and since then, I've had a lot going on, but here I am! I deeply apologize to you, my friends. This chapter will really be worth it, I promise (if not let me know in a review ;) ). Actually, on second thought, it's late and to be honest my mind is a lil fuzzy. Therefore, I only ask that you bear with me here folks for a bit as I try to adjust my life to this new school year, I'd really appreciate it. Also some love from you guys, I could always use some of that (in case you didn't know, in the form of a review, favorite, follow) :). Thanks again for sticking with me for so long and Until next time, this is TJ Banks, signing off!

 **...**

The gardens are beautiful this time of year, Belle noted as the May flowers that blossomed all around her drank in the sunlight that was unfading. Orange and pale yellow butterflies fluttered past her in a race to the prettiest rose they could find. The sad look on her face faded a little when she looked further into the distance and she saw Sultan, their dog, frolicking and rolling himself in the greenest patch of grass beyond the extensive and well manicured garden. Her attention was brought to the birds above her head. She could hear them having what seemed to be a very heated squabble above on the roof of the gazebo in the middle of all that beauty.

Suddenly, she seemed to be at peace. All memories of the past 24 hours seemed to fade away into nonexistence as she closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet, warm spring air. The only thing that was missing was the presence of her loving husbands' arms wrapped around her waist holding her close as they enjoyed this beautiful day before the rain set in.

What was missing was his lips on her neck. His sweet words about how beautiful she is and how amazing his life is now that she's in it forever. His hands reaching to unbutton her dress and hers swatting them away while laughing uncontrollably. His soft lips smashed against hers as the sun slowly gives into the clouds as the rain prepares to fall. Him carrying her inside so that they aren't wet by the rain; more often than not, to their bedroom. His hands making haste with her dress and hers working furiously at his shirt...

 _That's_ what's missing

As a tear fell down her left cheek, she heard someone behind her thundering down the walkway to the gazebo from the castle. She opened her eyes and smiled to herself, silently thanking Babette and Mrs. Potts for giving her some time to gather her thoughts and her feelings. She couldn't appear vulnerable right now, she needed to be taken seriously.

The running person got closer and slower as they ran up the three steps of the gazebo. In the octagon shaped gazebo, there was a wooden railing surrounding it, save for that entrance which was accompanied by three large wooden steps, and had a small dining table in the middle which was covered with a simple white tablecloth, had two uncovered chairs, and a single rose that lay diagonal atop the circular table.

Belle's back was to this person, but she already knew exactly who it was. He didn't need to speak, she could tell by his slow and cautious steps towards where she was standing on the other side of the gazebo, that it was the man she loved.

He took his usual place standing next to her, gazing out at the gardens without a word. There was no noise except for his slight panting from having sprinted out there and the unceasing twittering of the birds above their heads.

About two minutes passed while they stood like this. Growing curious of her thoughts, he turned towards her and studied her. She felt his gaze inspecting the dried tear stain she had neglected to wipe away, the bags under her eyes from having tossed and turned throughout the night, and the absence of pink flush in her cheeks.

Once satisfied with his observations, he turned to fully face her, his right elbow resting lightly on the wooden rail of the gazebo and his other arm fell casually by his side.

This time the gaze wasn't scrutinizing, it was seductively inquisitive. He slightly raised an eyebrow as she felt his eyes caress her body as they normally did throughout the day whenever their paths crossed for only a moment.

Yesterday, especially considering the circumstances, she'd have been appalled by his current behavior after what he did. Yesterday, she would have slapped him across his handsome face and stormed away while yelling profanities all the way back to the castle.

But that was yesterday.

Today, she longs for his embrace and his kiss. Today, she longs for his words in her ear, and his fingers intertwined with hers. Today she not only welcomes his gaze, but wants it. _Needs_ it

Yet, her pride prevents her from letting him look at her lovingly.

"You don't get to look at me like that, Adam" she said flatly, keeping her eyes on the butterflies that were flying nearby.

"You...can't. Not right now...please."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his sexy gaze falter and turn into a blank stare. Inside, she was hurt that he didn't try to fight her, but she understood that he knew it was in his best interest to do whatever she said, if he wanted to win her favor.

"Belle, Babette said you wished to speak with me and that it was urgent. Are you ok? I mean, besides me...breaking...your heart" he said solfty.

Another tear fell. Her barrier was breaking. She just wanted to come clean with all the emotions she was feeling. She honestly couldn't even remember why she decided not to.

"Um, I guess I just wanted..." she paused for a long moment. She was so close to just telling him how she felt. That seemed to be the perfect way to get him back after pushing him away ever since he came back. But part of her just can't...

"Yes? Belle, please talk to me" he dug into his left pants pocket and pulled out her wedding rings.

"At least take these, so I know that at least a part of you still wants to be my wife. I don't care how small it is, I just need to know, that from your point of view we still have a chance."

Belle looked down at the rings in his hand, but refused to look at his face.

What if he's as sleep deprived as she is or even worse? What if he stayed up the whole night waiting for her, while she wasn't able to sleep herself. What if he looks and feels absolutely dreadful, because of her? Not only that, but the pure guilt of treating him so terribly overcame her. Looking into his deep blue eyes would not only make her sadder, but it would be the end of her resilience. Which only hung by a thread at this point anyway.

For a moment, she considered looking at him and letting all her guards down. She contemplated what it would feel like to tell him about all of the hurt, the sadness, the guilt, the crying, the anger and that this whole time she thought keeping it bottled up was the best think to do.

He'd obviously tell her that she was way far off.

As she stood there staring at his hand with her rings, contemplating if she was going to come clean or not, Adam decided he'd had enough.

"Belle, why are you fighting me? Why are you denying me access to your thoughts and your heart and constantly pushing me way? Stop this! Belle, you're acting like a petulant child, and I can't take it anymore" he yelled. It was so sudden that it forced Belle to snap out of her deep thoughts and to look directly at his face.

He looked awful.

His hair was brushed back but that was it. His skin was abnormally pale, his eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep. He was wearing the same crushed up clothes he'd had on yesterday, and his shoes were two different ones as if he'd come out here in such a hurry that he didn't care what shoe he wore, as long as it got him to her.

She was taken aback by his change in tone and a little insulted by his words, but she just took a step back, crossed her arms, and listened.

"Ever since I got back all I've done is tell you the truth and try to talk this out with you and come to an understanding, but you keep avoiding me with cryptic language and games! Having Mrs. Potts delay me from coming out here? For what? So you could watch the same two butterflies for an hour or however long? Leaving me last night before you could even begin to tell me how you're feeling and what's troubling you the most? That hurt the worst. I stayed up ALL NIGHT waiting. Waiting for you to come back so we could be adults about this and address it. Look, I made a terrible mistake. One that I'll be making up for for the rest of my life. But there's only so much apologizing I can do. Tell me what's going on with you please! Let me make it right. However you need me to."

As the last word left his lips, she ran into his arms, crying. She finally saw that he was in as much pain as she was over this, and her heart couldn't take it anymore. Her barrier of resilience broke, and her walls crumbled down as she sobbed uncontrollably into his shirt.

Adam didn't say anything, he just held her tight and let her cry into his chest for as long as she needed.

* * *

Still sniffling, Belle and Adam walked back to the castle holding hands and walking closely. As they re-entered the castle, it seemed like every servant that was doing something in the foyer stopped to watch them walk towards the West Wing. Some, Adam noticed had looks of glee on their faces, pleased to see that the Prince and Princess were going to be alright after all. Others wore expressions of disbelief at Belle for taking him back so soon, and some even gave him a scornful sideye, still disappointed by his weakness in Italy.

They weren't his main concern though. His priority was to get Belle alone so that he could finally get a peak inside that brilliant mind and heart of hers. He wanted to know what she was feeling. He wanted her to be vulnerable and open up to him about how all of this is affecting her.

Which was proving to be harder than he thought.

He felt a little remorseful about calling her a petulant child, but the sleep deprivation, combined with his hungry stomach and his Belle ignoring him again, had sent him over the edge. But, it apparently was the push she needed to finally tear down those walls she had built.

When they arrived at the doors to their room in the West Wing, Belle didn't move to go inside. He suspected she wanted him to open the doors for her, but she continued to stand still and stare blankly at the now-opened door. He smiled softly at her and started pushing her gently into the room, using comforting words to coax her. Eventually she began taking small steps towards the spot on the end of the bed where she'd sat just a day earlier.

Adam grabbed the chair from his small desk and brought it directly infront of her and sat down and leaned forward so that his face was only a very small amount of feet from hers. He stared intently into her deep brown eyes which were dying to tell him everything.

Before Adam could say anything, Belle's mouth shot open and said something that not only surprised him, but gave him hope. Hope that soon, their lives would return to almost normal and that all of this pain would feel like a forgotten memory in only a few weeks.

"Adam, can you give me my wedding rings back? Please?"


	9. Are You Ready?

Hey. Im sorry. I know its been too long. I honestly dont know when ill be back after this but, this is just something to hold yall over I guess. Again, im sorry. I really should be asleep right now, but i dont want to be so i figured ill write. Don't forget about your girl TJ Banks who's signing off for a little while. (im sorry its super short and its really choppy, not fluid at all, but you know it is 2 am sooo)

Words seemed to be nonexistant in this moment. Time definetly hadn't stopped, for the sun was setting through the balcony windows at an alarmingly quick rate. If anything, it was speeding up to keep up with her heart rate. It had been far too long since she'd felt the warmth of his hands rapidly caressing her body. It had been too long since she had last entangled her fingers in his long hair, and been far too long since he had pulled hers out of the small bun she sometimes wore it in. His fingers were still as nimble as she remembered them being, as he undid every button lining the back of her dress with ease. She hadn't seemed to loose any of her speed as well, his button down shrit was off within seconds of their lips smashing against each other. Belle let herself fade into the magic of their furious kisses and fast movements. Her mind was utterly blank as he picked her up bridal style, carried her to their bed, and set her down gently. She watched with a dreamy far away look on her face as he began to remove his trousers. Her eyes locked onto his as he half hungrily and half nervously stared at her while he slowly, antagonizingly, undid the top of his pants.

Suddenly, he stopped , Adam's stare turning completely nervous as he peered at her confused face.

"What's wrong baby? Why did you stop?" Belle asked her husband impatiently as she halted the process of shrugging the undone dress completely off of her shoulders.

"Belle, I just don't think...I just don't think this is a good idea. We were just begining to recocile and lay these issues to rest, and I made the mistake of thinking that..." Adam was staring at his bare feet now, too embarrassed to even make eye contact with her. Belle stood up from the side of the bed where he'd placed her. She placed a soft hand on his left cheek and leaned in to give him a soft kiss. Adams soft lips returned the small gesture and as she pulled away his crystal blue eyes rose to meet her's.

"I know. I understand. Honestly, Adam, I just missed you so much. You were gone for so long and I...I've been so lonely..." Belle said, looking desperately into his eyes. Adams hands returned to their rightful places along her waist as he nodded knowingly at her comment.

"I just want you to be happy, Belle. You have to know by now how much I regret what happen while I was away. My only mission, right here, right now, is to make you happy." Adam said as he began to button back up Belle's dress. Her hands immeidiately rushed to his and stopped them from buttoning further.

"Adam! Stop that. Undo whatever buttons you just buttoned." Belle said strictly. Adams eyes widened in surprise by her reaction

"But I thought..."

"Nuh-uh. No more talking" Belle smiled seductively sinister as Adam proceeded to kiss that smile that he had missed so much.

There were no more words spoken between the two for the rest of the evening.


	10. Love Versus Lust

Hey friends! So sorry about that last chapter, but I don't plan on taking it down, because this is where I want to go with the story so. Yeah. It stays. For those who are returning, thank you so much for sticking with me all this time and for those who are just finding this story, welcome! Anyways, I'm honestly still trying to come to terms with the fact that they actually gave in! You'd think they'd have more restraint…(lol it's ironic that I'm saying this because I wrote it and I obviously knew where I was going with this story). Well, regardless, this weekend, I plan on releasing at the least one more chapter, so please please PLEASE review, favorite, follow, all of it, i don't know but I do know that I'd really appreciate it if I could get some feedback. Thanks loves, and remember, this is TJ Banks, signing off!

Big Fat DIsclaimer: NOT MY CHARACTERS & i don't own Disney in case you were wondering

* * *

 _This is a bad idea_

 _This is an awful solution_

 _This is a BAD idea_

These maxims rang loud and clear each time his hands caressed Belle's body. With each impulsive collision of their skin his mind screamed it again:

 _This is a bad idea_

 _This is an awful solution_

 _This is a BAD idea_

Thoroughly ignoring his own common sense, Adam continued to give into the temptation that laid before him, coaxing him on, demanding that he never halt, calling his name and making the short hairs on the back of his neck stand up as she tugged on his red-orange locks. Despite every warning his mind shouted at him and no matter how much he knew their physical reunion would solve nothing, he carelessly ventured on, with his mission clear: make her scream like never before.

He could just see the marks her nails were going to leave in his back when he finally let her go, could just feel the intoxicating warmth that they would create when he would hold her tight in his arms afterwards; caressing her body as she drifted into sleep; and softly kissing her awake in the morning. Although his thoughts were flooded with all the great after-effects of their reunion, he still couldn't shake that nagging voice in his head:

 _This is a bad idea_

 _This is an awful solution_

 _This is a BAD idea_

He brought himself to a halt, before anything unstoppable was put into motion. His common sense had won over, and he was met with a confuse and incredibly disappointed look from his wife

"What's wrong baby? Why did you stop?" she asked quizzically and slightly annoyed at his delay.

"Belle, I just don't think...I just don't think this is a good idea. We were just beginning to reconcile and lay these issues to rest, and I made the mistake of thinking that..." Adam was staring at his bare feet now, too embarrassed to even make eye contact with her. He couldn't believe that he'd let it even get this far when they were actually mending wounds and having an adult discussion

 _I guess this is the consequence of flirting in a serious situation._ He thought to himself as he tried to begin counting the single pieces of thread that lined the snow white rug beneath his feet. Much to Adam's surprise, Belle rose to her feet to meet him where he stood a couple inches from the edge of the bed where he had so gently set her down. After placing the softest kiss on his lips that he had ever felt, she told him how lonely she was. How much she missed his touch while he was gone, and immediately he was struck with a pang of guilt in his chest.

All this time, she had stayed true to her vows, she didn't succumb to temptation and the influence of drink as he did. He was the unfaithful one; he was the one unworthy of her heavenly body and soft touch. He proceeded to button her dress again, but was stopped almost instantly by his wife's soft hands. At her command, he stripped her and himself of their remaining garments as the sun disappeared under the horizon. He then proceeded to fulfill any and every other wish she'd had throughout the evening and well into the night.

…

Breathlessly, Belle laid on her back next to her slumbering husband, who had only just fallen asleep and was already snoring. As she turned onto her left side and examined his calm face, she realized that she missed him a lot more than she had let herself admit. She had missed the warmth that he brought, not only at night but, in general. She had missed falling asleep to his snore; she missed falling asleep to the melodious rhythm of his heartbeat as she laid upon his fuzzy chest. She resisted the urge to run her fingers along the dark brown hairs that encased his chest and she began to think about the events that transpired today. As her breathing returned to normal, a small smile placed itself on Belle's mouth. Not only was it a beautiful day outside, but she had finally reconciled with her husband.

 _Her Husband_

It was still kind of weird to think about him being here and his absence being filled. The past two days since his return have been actual hell, full of tears, screaming, and avoidance. There seemed to be no way for things to return back to normal yesterday, but maybe there is hope for them after all. She was determined to stop hiding the way she truly felt from him, he promised to never step out on her again, which he guaranteed was a one time occurance, and they'd just reunited physically. It seems that moving forward with positive spirits and good feelings was unavoidable.

Belle rolled onto her back again as a thoughtful frown spread across her face as she considered what the coming morning would hold. She'd noticed and been slightly deterred by his blatant hesitance that night when he'd said that this wasn't a good idea. When they woke, would he claim that he regretted being with her so quickly? She had felt that it was the perfect moment, while he was thinking the exact opposite.

She didn't want to force him to do something he didn't believe was right, but he wasn't exactly distraught over it either. Belle, plagued by too many doubts to sleep with, slowly rose out of the bed extremely slowly, and covered her naked body with her lilac colored robe that was draped on a lounge chair to the right of the nightstand on her side of the bed, and left their bedchamber. Her destination was her favorite place in the entire castle and among the castle grounds. Her silent slippers soared lightly along the incredibly dim hallways and down the flight of stairs that lead to the greatest gift that she had ever received in life: The library gifted to her by her husband, her Adam, her Beast.


	11. Permanent Damage

**Authors** **Notes**

Oh my, it's been more than a little while hasn't it. By the way Happy Holidays or whatever doesn't offend you, and Happy New Year! I cannot promise that I'll be more active in 2019 but I'll definitely try my hardest to push out a chapter more often than I have in the past. Anyways, onward with the story! Things are about to get quite interesting. (extra long chapter as an apology to you guys. You deserve better :) ) Don't forget to favorite if you liked it and would love to see more, follow for updates, and comment to make me happy ;) This is TJ Banks, signing off!

Big Fat Disclaimer: NOT MY CHARACTERS & i don't own Disney or the original story, in case you were wondering

…

The bright morning sun was welcomed by its sole occupant through the balcony doors and the sheer curtains that were pushed to the side, and allowed the room to be lit up. Adam, for once, had risen early, having been plagued with disturbing thoughts since he noticed his wife's absence before dawn.

As he buttoned his waistcoat he stared off into the distance gardens that lay outside his balcony, trying to shake the nagging feeling that what happened the previous night was not only erroneous, but incredibly premature for the state that their frail relationship was in. He had half expected her to not be there when he woke up, as an old expectation of her habit, but this time it felt different.

Something was making him feel uneasy, and the list of possibilities was endless. Did she leave because she wanted to save herself the embarrassment of facing the servants realizing that she had forgiven his snafu so quickly? Did she leave because she realized she made the wrong decision, and was consumed by regret? Did she..leave for good?

Adam's contemplating expression immediately turned dark as the reality of the possibility that she'd stolen away into the night and left him for good hit him and caused a deep frown to take its form on his chiseled face. Moving swiftly from the French doors, he neglected to put his hair up - at Belle's constant request - and set out, once again, to look for the sole reason that his heart beat everyday. Dodging the accusing looks and dagger-filled stares still being gifted by the servants, he quickly made his way from the West Wing to Belle's favorite spot and favorite gift: Her library.

It didn't take long at all for him to locate his wife. As soon as he entered the Library, he knew she was there; the faint smell of rose and the soft snores that emanated from the long sitting couch in front of the dormant fireplace caused the pit that was in his stomach to fill again, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he neared her petite figure huddled on the couch. The dark look he'd been harboring all the way down there left as quickly as it had appeared as he watched her barely wrapped figure slowly rise and fall with the shallow breaths of deep sleep. The frown returned when he saw her small frame quiver and he quickly realized she was only brandishing a thin robe with nothing underneath. She must have been planning to come back upstairs, but fell asleep reading in front of the fire that must have died out.

Slowly, and taking care to not jostle her too much, he scooped her up into his arms bridal style and proceeded in carrying her back to the West Wing. The snores paused and her body seemed to go stiff when he first held her, but those dark and mesmerizing pools of dark honey that she calls eyes only opened a sliver, before closing again. Her body returned to its limp sleep state and the soft snores resumed.

Once returned to the bed, Adam planned to cover her entirely with their thick Satin sheets, but before doing so, he took a moment to admire her. He gazed upon the milky white skin that drank in the sunshine, as if it was made just for her. He let his eyes linger on the chocolate brown locks that cascaded down her neck and halted at her shoulders.

He basked in the heavenly image before him: her soft arms and thighs, her adorable feet that were almost hidden under the sheets, and her small delicate hands that roamed his body with familiar ease and intense tenderness. When she slightly shivered again, he was released from the trance her body put him under, and covered her in the thick sheets to shield her half uncovered body from the chilly morning.

A small moan of approval left her chest and he turned happily on his heel and softly left the room. He fully intended on letting his beauty sleep away the day if necessary, no one was to disturb her; she deserved some rest after what she'd been through the past few days.

After what _he'd_ put her through these past few days.

He solemnly left the West Wing, plagued with thoughts of regret and scolding when he realized he was suddenly feeling quite peckish. It'd been a long time since he'd been able to enjoy a nice hot bowl of Mrs. Potts' amazing oatmeal. He also realized he'd missed Mrs. Potts, and hadn't had a chance to speak with her at all since his return. Maybe she could offer a side of good advice with a delicious meal.

The moment he walked into the dining room, all the servants cleared out, except for the few brave ones aiding Mrs. potts with setting out breakfast.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Potts" Adam said sulkily.

"Good morning dear! Why someone's up awfully early today. Is everything alright? Haven't come down with a fever today have we?" Mrs. Potts asked with a sarcastic smile on her face.

"I'm afraid I'd prefer having the plague to how things have been ever since I returned and everyone found out about my-"

"Affair?" She injected, with a disapproving look on her face as she poured Adam a bowl of hot oatmeal.

"I was going to say blunder, but yes. The _incident_. I don't know how I'll ever make this up to Belle. I hurt her so much Mrs. Potts. She trusted me and she gave me her heart, willingly might I add, and what do I do? I go and squander my only chance at happiness." Adam dropped his head in his hands as he gazed thoughtlessly at the oatmeal and toast in front of him.

Mrs. Potts stayed silent as she poured him a cup of tea, never making eye contact with him.

"I'm just glad that I'll never have to see that woman's face ever again. The thought of even being in the same room with her, let alone the same bed, makes me sick. Belle is the love of my life and God willing, we'll be able to work through this...I hope." Adam was mindlessly stirring the oatmeal while looking for some kind of comfort from the old woman.

Instead, when she finally met his eyes, he received that same disappointed stare from before. With a hint of tears in her eyes Mrs. Potts scolded Adam for playing with his food. As she turned to leave the dining room with her helpers, she turned and said

"Adam dear, for your sake and that sweet girl whose heart you smashed into pieces I hope so too. Oh God, do I hope so."

With that, she left a very guilt-stricken Adam with a lukewarm bowl of oatmeal and cold tea.

Just as he was getting up to leave the untouched food, Lumiere burst through the doors of the dining room looking incredibly frantic with Cogsworth in tow looking grim as ever.

"Master Adam, thank God we found you" Lumiere huffed out in sharp breaths as Cogsworth moved past his exasperated confidente.

"Master, there's a visitor here to see you" Cogsworth said with a concerned tone.

"Tell them I'm not taking any visitors today. I've got a lot to to now that I've retur-"

"Master, this visitor says it's urgent and won't take no for an answer. _She's_ not going anywhere without an audience with you" Cogsworth said urgently, the despair spiking in his voice.

 _She? No, it can't be..._

Adam's face grew dark as he rushed past Lumiere and sped to the front of the castle, praying with all his might that it was only a female consulate from a royal acquaintance he'd made while away, or a friend of Belle's from the village. Hoped and prayed that it wasn't _her._

Arriving in the foyer, he spotted Babette twirling her brown hair nervously around her index finger and glancing nervously into the sitting room.

"Where is this visitor of ours" Adam all but growled at her, scaring her out of her nervous trance.

" _Oh!_ Mon Dieu, you scared me master. She's in there..she says she has something important to tell you…" Babette nervously ran away as Adam stormed into the room.

"Adam! My love, it's so nice to see you aga-"

 _Francesca, no_

"How _dare_ you come here to my home and just act so casual, as if you don't know _my wife_ is upstairs and could come in at any moment! Not only that, but you do NOT belong here!" Adam screamed at her.

Unphased by his temper, she flashed those pointy bright teeth of hers in a sad attempt to conceive a smile, and moved closer to him,

" I have some very important news that I thought would be imperative that you found out as soon as possible, my prince" she said with a sickly sweet voice that definitely wasn't hers.

"I'm not your prince" Adam growled at her and with rage barely containable, he backed away from her, more for her sake than his.

He'd be more than happy to grab her by the throat and squeeze until the life left her eyes, but he couldn't fix his marriage from the inside of a jail cell. He needs to put his marriage to Belle first from now on if he has any hope for true reconcile between them.

"You will be, sweet Adam. See this little 'Picture perfect' life that you've got with that peasant you have the audacity to call a wife? It has, not so sadly, come to an end" Francesca sneered with such pleasure as she walked around the room, touching the fine items she was claiming would be hers soon.

"What in the HELL are you talking about you craz-"

"I'm pregnant, Adam."


	12. The Exit

**Authors Notes**

I'm gonna be completely honest with you guys, I've thrown the schedule I had sort of set out of the window. I'll be popping in and out every now and then, perhaps more often than before but still not as often as I did when I first created this story. Just follow if you're really into the story so you'll know if I upload. Sooo, enjoy for now ;) Anyways, This is TJ Banks, signing off!

* * *

Happily, Belle sighed and stretched her arms out as she wrapped the thin robe around her body while sitting up in their bed. The familiar sound of the rustling sheets falling off of her was welcomed as her fingers toyed with the edge of the sheet. The sunlight streaming in heavily, indicating the definite arrival of morning was most welcomed as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

Her husband must be responsible for her waking up here she thought to herself as she smiled and rose out of the warm sanctuary. He really should have just woke her up with a kiss and a demand to go to bed; she would have dragged him back with her and they could have savored a reenactment of the night before.

She smirked to herself at the very thought of being in bed all day with Adam again, and she realized that it was the only thing she really wanted to do anymore. She was _so tired_ of getting dressed every morning and coming back to an empty bed only to do the same thing all over again. Now that someone was sharing it with her again, she wanted so desperately to never ever leave it again; at least not with clothes on. Her innate desire for his _companionship_ , if you could call it something as tame as that, overcame all of her previous feelings of hostility and sadness.

Suddenly, she was almost happy again; happy enough to begin to see the possibility of their future together as a bright one, as she had before he left. The only thing that still nagged at her conscience was the idea that Adam felt last night was a mistake. He'd been quite hesitant before, but once he let his inhibitions go, it was...perfect. And that was one thing she was sure they were on the same page about.

She practically skipped over to their closet to fetch something to wear, when she stopped in front of the floor length mirror and smiled giddily to herself.

Although, she did leave very soon after, she did have a wonderful time last night with her husband. She'd longed for his touch for such a long time that even considering the circumstances, it felt right to be in his loving arms again.

She felt as if she belonged there, and no one else could replace her. She may not be what the villagers call an "ideal princess" or a "normal" person, but she knew she was the ruler of Adams heart, and perhaps all his apologies weren't total wastes of breath.

Her fingers delicately traced the few dark red marks along her neck and outlined the deep pink colored ones that covered her stomach. Her smile turned wicked at the thought of how he travelled her entire body, leaving these breadcrumbs wherever he went, as if he could get lost along the way, and needed to make sure he could return to the safety of her lips. She gently pressed on a particularly surprising piece of evidence of the previous nights pleasure. She half winced when she pressed too hard on the faint outline of a bite mark on the inside of her thigh that stood out against the milky white of her skin.

The last time he'd left his mark on her like this was the week of their honeymoon in Greece, when she'd demanded that he stop being so gentle with her. He had been holding back in fear of injuring her, in fear of letting his emotions and his purely animal desire completely overtake him and destroy the both of them. It was surprising how long he'd maintained his gentle manner because after just one scolding from her about how terrible he was being by patronizing her, she'd woken up the next day to deep red marks and light scratches all over her skin, feathers from the pillows covering the floor, and a fully ashamed Adam, who refused to to touch her for at least a week after.

Biting her lip slightly and twisting her wedding rings on her finger at the memory, she drifted into the closet to find a dress to cover her properly. A simple light yellow dress with long sleeves and lace along the edges of every opening on. Its higher neckline and sleeves covered the marks across her chest and arms, but left her neck quite exposed. Grabbing a thin cream shawl, wrapping it around her neck loosely, and matching slippers, she'd deemed her outfit suitable and brushed her hair so it laid on her shoulders.

Satisfied with the coverage her modest but appropriate outfit granted her, she left the West Wing in search of what was available from breakfast. The deep rumblings of her hungry tummy were disrupted by the strikingly violent yelling she heard while passing the foyer. As Belle moved closer, she could tell that the voice screaming was Adams' for sure, but following his was the suspicious voice of a woman she'd never heard before.

Quickly glancing around the slightly cracked entrance to the sitting room where the noise was emanating from for any servants, Belle drew as close as she could to the crack and began listening to what seemed to be the end of a very unsettling conversation.

"...You will be, sweet Adam. See this little 'Picture perfect' life that you've got with that peasant you have the audacity to call a wife? It has, not so sadly, come to an end"

A puzzled look overcame Belle at this insult from a mysterious woman that she'd never even met before. And who was she anyway, to be telling Adam their life together? As Belle tried to place the name to a possibility, the realization hit her like a collision with a cobblestone wall of who it could be.

 _Oh please don't let it be who I'm almost sure it is..._ she thought to herself with tears brimming the edges of her eyes as she continued listening for some kind of tell.

"What in the HELL are you talking about you craz-"

"I'm pregnant, Adam."

Belle's hand flew up to her mouth in shock at the last thing the woman said. The brimming tears were now a full on silent sob as she took a slow step away from the door.

 _No._

 _No, it can't be._

But Belle could only hear silence, and the slow soft padding of her feet going backwards, away from the door.

"Belle?"

A soft voice called to her from behind. Belle turned around to see the pale frightened face of Babette, who'd been told what was suspected of this visit by the mysterious woman from Cogsworth. Cautiously, she walked toward Belle with the hesitance of someone approaching a hungry tiger.

"Did you… Do you know?" she asked slowly.

Belle nodded furiously with tears streaming down her face and ran into her closest friends' arms. No longer able to keep quiet, Belles' agonizing sobs were echoing in the large foyer, and drew the attention of one of the inhabitants of the sitting room. He ran out of the room looking frantically for the source of the sound, and when his eyes fell on Babette holding a hysteric Belle his face turned pale as a ghost.

"Belle. When did you...Belle no, love, it's not what you-"

With a sudden burst of courage, Belle ripped herself from her friends arms turning and facing Adam with fury the Devil himself would have sought cover from.

"NO. You do NOT get to say ANYTHING to me. I heard _it all_ Adam. I _KNOW_ " she screamed.

Leaving a thoroughly shaken Adam in her midst, Belle turned on her heel, grabbed her coat that hung lifelessly on a coat rack near the door, and left the castle.

Blood and anger thundering in her ears, she couldn't hear anything that was behind her as she ran towards the stable and hitched up Philippe. Heading straight out of the gates of her home of the past year, she rode into the forest; away from the castle to the only man she knew she could find any kind of solace in. The only man that she could truly ever trust lived just beyond the forest and over the green hills surrounding Villeneuve.

The wind carried her still streaming tears behind her as she sped back to her village in order to return to the loving arms of Maurice, her father.


	13. Truth Hurts

Authors Notes

Guess who's back? Your favorite author has returned to her laptop and this truly twisting story. I don't know how consistent I'm going to be able to be, but I really am trying my best y'all, I promise. A huge thank you to all my readers, but specifically thank you to my followers, the ones who come running when I post every couple months and those who reread the chapters. Every single one of you is amazing. I owe my passion to you guys, and I cannot convey how thankful I am for the devotion. I have at least three chapters already in the works and I've been forming the story line, and I can tell you guys, it's not ending for a long time ;) So get ready. This is TJ Banks signing off

* * *

With knuckles white as the clouds scattered obliviously in the blue sky, Belle rode away on Philippe without a second thought. The only thought coursing through her head was that she needed to escape somehow, to somewhere, _anywhere_ that wasn't there. With hot tears streaming down her face and a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she tried to organize it all, make sense of it all. After putting a good enough amount of distance between the castle and herself and the green forest speeding past her slowed and her vision ceased blurring, she attempted to put in order all the events of the past few days in order to properly identify her emotions, which were completely scattered. The strength of the mix of feeling not only scared her to death but irked her to her very core, especially when she began to contemplate how she'd gotten this way. She loathed the way she was feeling now, all this anger and sadness was so uncharacteristic of her, but considering her situation, she considered her feelings not just solicited but induced without her consent. The feeling was similar to being administered a dose of laudanum, but instead of peaceful incoherence her delirium was comprised of anger, confusion, hurt, desire, betrayal and sadness.

Originally she'd expected to feel an overwhelming joy at his return home. Receiving that letter two weeks ago had been the greatest improvement in her, at the time, solitary existence , and was meant to be the beginning of the rest of their lives, finally, together. She had practically knocked him over with her enthusiastic hug when he'd walked through the ornate palace doors, and left him breathless after a mind numbing kiss in the middle of the foyer. She'd wanted to tell him of the little innovations she'd been working on as of late and of the few actually receiving use in the castle and of the new pastry chef they'd hired after the last one left to pursue his lifelong dream of being in the Russian Ballet. Days before his arrival she had developed a list of changes which she was eager to show him. She had planned to walk him around the castle and show him the renovated South wing, which was in abysmal disarray even after the curse was lifted off of the castle and she had planned on showing him the few new pieces of art she'd purchased from a dealer who she was half certain took advantage of her purse, but who she exacted revenge on by convincing him to add a few books about medicine and herb healing into the deal after she feigned contempt over the painting she bought. As Philippe slowed to a jog she smiled to herself while thinking of the beautiful piece of art hanging prominently in their library framed in a wood frame gilded with gold. It was the beautiful French _campagne_ with hills of green grass painted to look like wisps of green glued to the canvas with a little cottage much like the one she lived in with her father before marrying Adam and living in the castle. She'd fell in love with it because it reminded her of the life she'd left behind not so very long ago, and although she'd never particularly cared for that small provincial town, it was her home all her life and a place she held dear in her heart of hearts.

The list of things to show him was to prevent her from making an absolute fool out of herself, because she knew as soon as she saw him all rules of decorum and decency would fly out of the window and the staff of the castle would receive a full view of their master and his insatiable wife who'd been without him for _months._ At the time, her cheeks had grown hot at the thought of the embarrassment of having him right where he walked in, presumably, but now, looking back, her body was reacting to the thought of his touch again, the mere idea of his hands exploring her body vivaciously, no, tenderly and carefully; savoring every time he came into contact with her sensitive skin that had already become alert and ready to receive his touch. Staring blankly down, Belle recalled biting her bottom lip, _hard_ , to make the images go away and to halt the arousal rising steadily with no form of relief around. Not yet anyway, she had mused at the time. Now the thought of him touching her that way solicits no reaction, at least not like it had the night before when he actually was touching her...among other things.

Her eyes lifted from Philippe's mane, which she hadn't felt them focus on, and she felt extremely lucky to have a horse that was intelligent enough to know the way on his own as she set her eyes on the very village that previously occupied her thoughts. The smell of the green forest turned into the scent of Villeneuve, the familiar yet foreign smell of bread, metal, beer and the faint scent of flowers mixed together. The tall and small crumbling cream buildings seemed to welcome her like an old friend and called out to her through the quiet midday sounds of the marketplace finishing rush hour, as most of the good vegetables and cuts of meat were gone by now, and children squealing with glee playing in the streets.

Easily resisting the uninvited temptation to enter the town and have all the villagers gawk at her again as they did a little under a year ago on her wedding day, she took a hard left from the village towards her old place of refuge, her father's house, on the slight outskirts of town. The faded orange roof was a comforting sight to behold, along with the water mill and barn on the left side of the cottage. Philippe trotted to his old place under the barn in his "stable" amd began munching on a carrot that was left on the ground casually, as if he'd never left. Belle silently wished it was as easy for her as it is for her horse to return to this town, this place, this house.

Belle walked unsteadily up the few steps that felt like 3 staircases to her father's door, eyes red, stinging, and with increasingly prominent nausea that caused her already nervous feet to sway a little more out of fear for her father's reaction to the bombshell she was preparing to drop on him so suddenly. She took in a deep shaky breath and knocked furiously until she saw her father's round surprised visage when he opened the door. His hands were covered in oil, he had obviously been working on something when she arrived, and his stringy white hair was sticking up in all directions. His goggles were strapped securely to the top of his head and his face was covered in soot. The image would have been comical in any other circumstance than this one, but she was in too much pain to laugh.

"Belle? What are you doing here? I thought you would come visit next weekend?" His surprised expression faded into one of concern when he looked closer at his eyes while she was glancing in every other direction than his.

"Have you been crying? What's happen-"

"Papa, Adam's home"

"Well that's great Belle. So, why are you upset?

"Because he-"

Belle jerked her head towards the flower bed in front of the house and hurled. She wasn't even sure how she could throw up because she hadn't really eaten since Adam arrived home, but this sickening feeling shook her to her core. Not much came out, but her father immediately ushered her inside out of worry and demanded she sit down. She complied as he hurriedly fixed her a glass of water as he made another effort to know what was so terrible that it was bringing her to physical sickness.

"Belle, answer me, what is going on? Is there any chance that you're… I know it's invasive but… could you be ...are you...pregnant?" he asked with an adorable glimmer of hope. Belle looked at him with tears in her eyes and a hint of a smile but shook her head violently no when she remembered who actually _was_ pregnant with her husbands child.

"No Papa, I'm not, sorry to disappoint you. But there is something I have to tell you."

Her eyes darted from his seat across the table where he was looking at her with concern, to her hands that were folded neatly in her lap while she was shaking profusely. She put a stray string of hair behind her ear, took a deep breath, and told her father everything.

...

Belle's father couldn't believe what she had told him. His jaw hit the table when she talked of Adam's infidelity, and didn't move when he found out about the pregnancy. After she was finished he immediately got up and grabbed her his good handkerchief, careful to not get too much oil on it, and told her to wipe her tears and that she could stay as long her she needs. She burst into joyful tears and hugged her father gently, avoiding an oil stain. After her long and trying day, she was decidedly extremely tired and retired to bed, as usual, with the sun as it settled itself under the horizon similar to Belle settling herself under the covers of her childhood bed and closing her eyes, thinking of nothing but of the sweet arrival of sleep.

* * *

Defeated and angry, Adam stormed back into the castle after screaming Belles name until she had faded completely out of view. This was the _absolute worst_ possible outcome of this woman's intrusion on his life, and that whore knows it. Adam bestows death glares upon all the servants that had gathered in the foyer at the commotion and they scatter like ants at the sight of water; he wants to be utterly alone when he strangles Francesca with his bare hands. Bursting through the thick door of the front sitting room with the force of ten men, Adam is obviously seething. Teeth are bared, gritted and his face a red to rival the amber and red tones in his hair that sticks to some parts of his neck that are slick with sweat from the heat radiating from him and the hot spring-summer day; more so the former than the latter, it was actually relatively cool for the month they were in. Francesca doesn't even flinch at his dramatic entrance, partially because she's admiring a glass sculpture of the previously enchanted rose, twirling it around in her hand as if she was estimating its value and wondering what other expensive things are in his castle that she could get her greedy hands on. He slams the heavy door behind him, which is no easy feat, and she simply turns in his direction with a lazy smirk, with a haughty air about her. Adam is so angry with her he didn't even notice Lumiere slip into the room behind him as he slowly moved closer to Francesca, hands balled into tight fists.

"Oh Adam, you've come back. Great, I'm so glad we could get all the unpleasantness of that peasant girl finding out about our relationship" she said with a dismissive flick of her hand in the direction of the forest.

"I imagine she must have been less than pleased, but you handled it, right _ma prince_?" she attempted another smile, and Adam noted in the back of his mind that was ablaze that her smile seemed even more sinister than it had the night he met her, the color was duller. At this thought he stopped in his murderous mission because her appearance was _very_ different than it was when he'd first encountered her that night three weeks ago. Her hair had seemed only a few shades darker than Belles, but in the early afternoon light it appeared almost black. Her skin had seemed somewhat pale but not so much to where she looked sickly, now as he looked at her, rage slowly fading to confusion, she did look sickly pale. She was obviously fine as she reached for the collar of his linen and silk shirt that peaked out over his waistcoat to pull him closer to her for a kiss. He immediately shrugged her off and backed a few steps away from her as he looked at her in complete disgust.

"Who the hell _are_ you?" Adam asked in utter confusion as her expression changed from sly to slightly confused.

" It's Francesca darling, the woman you should be with, the woman you _belong_ with, and the future mother of your child. Are you feeling ok? You look pale yet slightly red."

No, Adam thought to himself, she looks vaguely familiar. Her appearance mirrors someone he's known in the past, he just can't put his finger on it.

Still standing far too close to him for his liking, Francesca looks at him, feigning concern for him,"Hmm, well darling I hope you get over whatever is making you look that way, it's unhealthy and unbecoming. I just hope you're not harboring any ill feelings for Belle's reaction to us." Adam decided then, that he didn't like her using his wife's name that way, or at all really.

"Do no talk about her, ever. You are not permitted to say her name. You are going to do as I tell you, _woman,_ and leave my wife and I alone. Pregnancy or not, I refuse to let you drag my loves name in the dirt with your backhanded comments."

"Oh _come on_ Adam! Did you really think she'd stay when she found out about me? She doesn't understand our love, its uniq-"

"Our _love_? There is no love. I have no love for you, you're just a delusional mistake I have to make up for the rest of my life" he spat at her, his anger returning from his small moment of confusion. He'll have to decipher who she resembles later, His main focus needs to be Belle. If only he could throw her out and be done with this infuriatingly dumb conversation.

" Adam, stop this! You don't need to pretend anymore, she doesn't love you anymore! I know you weren't ever in love with her, not truly anyway" Now his blood was boiling as he became numb to his surroundings. He didn't even notice Lumiere creeping ever so slowly up from behind him in order to restraint him should his anger get out of hand.

" You have to realize this Adam, you aren't now and never have been in love with her! How could you honestly think you want her when you've got someone like me?"

His face went from pure rage to immediate understanding abruptly. Francesca took a step back, obviously now a little afraid for her life, assuming that was a look of ultimate rage but in Adams head, it all clicked.

Her skin

Her hair

Her demeanor

Now finally, that final line that was said to him almost a year and a half before, during the attack on his castle by the villagers. It all makes sense now.

A feeling of utter despair hits him like a boulder, Adam's face dons a scowl in disgust as he runs into an unsuspecting Lumiere who looks frantically back and forth between Adam and Francesca and is just as confused as Adam was a moment ago.

"I know exactly who you are, I just...didn't know the night we met. It all makes sense now..."

"Adam, darling, what are you talking abou-"

"You're related to that man who was here aren't you? The man who tried to and almost succeeded in killing me" he'd assumed correctly, her face went from almost amicable to dark and foreboding, her thin lips pressed into a firm line but the rest of her face eerily relaxed.

This has to be the truth he decided.

" You're related to Gaston."


End file.
